Zombies, rednecks and how to make a bad brand cool

A mullet headed, too small t-shirt wearin, tooth pick chewin guy in a pick-up sporting a confederate flag? Or perhaps the Deliverance theme song begins to run through your mind.

Neither are exactly a win for the redneck brand is it?

Well there is that off chance that you giggled a bit and recalled Jeff Foxworthy exclaim in his sing songy voice You might be a redneck. But in the end even that trademark expression ends with images of hordes of underdressed Walmart shoppers and over enthusiastic NASCAR fans.

Redneck brand – one…
Negative images, what are we up to now 4?

OK now that we explored the less desirable word redneck, let’s try a new word.

Ready??

Zombies…

Quick, the first thing that comes to your mind.

Are you thinking about Twinkies, Tallahassee and Bill Murray? If so I bet you liked the movie (Zombieland) as much as I did.

Maybe you jumped back in time to stiff legged, black & white versions of the undead muttering about brains. If so, I encourage you to upgrade to my latest obsession…The Walking Dead.

The Walking Dead. The place where these two words meet, get to know each other and the match as they say, is made in heaven.

Yes fellow Dead fans…I am referring to Daryl. The unsung hero of the show. Carol’s tank top wearing, bow sporting knight in shining armor. Think about it folks, if you were stuck in a zombie apocalypse, who would you want fighting by your side? I’d choose Daryl. I’d choose the guy who knows how to defend himself and the members of his family, the guy who could go out into the woods and come back with something for the family to eat, the guy who recycles his artillery and has a soft spot for babies (even if he gives them inappropriate names).

Daryl has made the redneck a hero. The undesirable is now desirable. Isn’t that what good marketing is all about? Taking your brand from where it is (with whatever connotation follows it) to where you want it to go.

How do people perceive your service or product? That it is not good quality? That it is undesirable? If that is the case, your task is to help change the way people see it. To build a world where what you have is what the people need. In my case, during a zombie apocalypse, Ineed a redneck by my side.